The same token, two networks
Tether (USDT) is issued on multiple blockchains. The two largest deployments:
- USDT-ERC20 — Ethereum mainnet. The original. ~$40B+ supply.
- USDT-TRC20 — Tron network. Now larger by transaction volume. ~$60B+ supply.
Both represent 1 USD claim against Tether’s reserves. They’re fungible at the issuer level — Tether will mint/burn freely to balance supply between networks.
When to use ERC-20
- Working in Ethereum DeFi (Aave, Uniswap, MakerDAO)
- L2 DeFi (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base)
- Need WETH or LST as counterparty
- Large institutional flows where Ethereum is the default
When to use TRC-20
- Sending USDT to or from another person (remittance)
- Depositing to centralized exchanges
- High-frequency small transfers
- Optimizing for transaction cost
Bridge between them
USDT (ETH) → USDT-TRC20 via TronBridge. Typical fee $0.10–$1.50.